U.S. to Issue Unusual Warning Over Venezuela Airport Security

[Judi Lynn]

U.S. to Issue Unusual Warning
Over Venezuela Airport Safety
By CHRISTOPHER CONKEY
September 8, 2008 4:59 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security today will issue an unusual warning questioning the security of Venezuelan airports, a move that won't immediately block flights but could renew tensions over air travel between the countries.

DHS officials have been blocked from inspecting international airports in Venezuela to determine if they comply with security standards adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization, according to the department. U.S. inspectors have been trying to gain access to Venezuela's main international hubs, including Simon Bolivar International Airport outside the capital of Caracas, for the last two years, according to the U.S. embassy there.

The Venezuelan embassy in Washington, D.C., did not respond to a request for comment. Christopher White, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration, the agency within DHS in charge of aviation security, said beginning tomorrow, security checkpoints at U.S. airports will post warnings on travel to and from Venezuela. The warnings will not directly block flights or advise Americans to avoid flying to Venezuela; rather, they will state that the TSA cannot verify that airports in Venezuela have the proper security procedures in place.

"Venezuela has refused multiple requests to allow for such assessments, which are required by U.S. law, and the agency is taking action to warn travelers of this security deficiency," according to an advisory the TSA is expected to release today.

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